Method of manufacturing sheet-metal characters.



No. 862,629. PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

G. c. GARRISON. I METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHEET METAL CHARACTERS.

APPLIUATIOH FILED SEPT. 15. 1906. I

sign of the pressing elements of the dies. In Fig. l,

GEORGE C. GARRISON, OF PITTSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

METHOD OF MANUFACTURING SHEET-METAL CHARACTERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed September 15. 1906. Serial No. 334,811.

To all whom it may concern:

these projections are shown as in the form of V-shaped Be it known that I, Gnonen O. Gnnnrson, a citizen 1 ridges having a sharp apex, but it will be obvious that of the United States, residing at Iittsburg, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Manufacturing Sheet-Metal Characters, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

My invention relates to improvements in method of manufacturing sheet metal characters.

The invention consists in pressing the boundary outlines of the letter in relief from a thin sheet of metal, so as to define the body portion of the letter within said boundary relief lines, and in then removing all or a portion of said relief boundary projections so as to sever the letter from the blank.

The relief portion may be pressed outwardly from the blank by any suitable means, as either flat or roll shaped dies, after which the severing operation may be performed by a grinding wheel, a milling tool, a sever ing knife, or in any other manner desired.

Referring to the drawings wherein I have shown some of the means for carrying out the invention;-Figure 1. represents a vertical sectional view through male and female dies with the blank between them, the section being indicated by the line I. I. of Fig. 2. Fig. 2. isa plan view of the blank after having been operated upon, the upper die having been removed. Fig. 3. is an enlarged sectional detail view illustrating modified form of the dies for forming the relief bead or severable boundary portion. Fig. 4. is a detail view illustrating one way of severing the letter from the blank, by cutting off the high portion of the pressed-out boundary bead. Fig. 5. is a perspective view of the blank after having been operated upon by the dies, partly broken away to show the metal in cross section. Fig. 6. is a cross sectional view of the blank, indicated by the line VI. VI. of Fig. 5, after the severing operation. Fig. '7. is a detail sectional view illustrating the use of a roll die for defining the outline of the letter. Fig. 8. is a perspective view of a finished letter, separated from the waste. Fig. 9. is a vertical sectional view showing means for utilizing fluid pressure to effect the pressing operation.

In the drawings 2, 3, represent the several dies of a pair, one of said dies having ridges 4 projecting outwardly beyond its surface, and defining the outlines of the desired letter on both sides of its body portion throughout. The other die is provided with corre- ,sponding recesses 5 adapted to correspondwith said projecting portions 4 so that when the blank 6 is pressed between the dies, the outline of the letter will be formed in relief and defined by the ridge-like upwardly projecting portions corresponding to the shape or dethe form may be varied, and in Fig. 3 I have shown a modified design in which the sides 7, 7, of the relief portion extend upwardly, tapering toward each other and are joined at the top by a short horizontal crown S.

It will also be understood that the sides of the ridge may be of any other conformation, either vertical, i. a. parallel with each other, or that the ridge may be merely in the form of a half-round bead, or of any other shape desired.

The essential object is to form in the blank upwardly projecting portions of the metal, defining the outline of the letter, which portions may be cut through by any of the various well known means, as suggested, so as to sever the letter'from the other or waste portion of the blank. In the general views of the blank itself, said projecting relief portion is indicated by the letter a and it will be understood that the height of such projection need only be sufficient to provide enough stock so that it may be cut through to insure severance.

The proportions of the parts may be greatly varied so as to result in a practically flat sheet metal letter, or in one wherein the edges of the letter will have an appreciable depth so that the letter itself will project outwardly from any base upon which it is secured.

I do not desire to be limited other than by the appended claims to any particular number or design of dies, or the method of their operation. For instance, either a single male or female die may be used, and the sheet metal laid upon it and fluid pressure exerted upon its upper side sutficient to press the metal into shape. Such operation is shown in Fig. 9 wherein the blank 0 is laid upon a flat die 4 -a having the ridge-defining projections 4b and fluid pressure exerted upon the upper surface of the blank from within the cavity 13 of a surrounding vessel 14, from any source of pressure supply.

One operation of removing the top portion of the ridges is indicated in Fig. 4 wherein a milling tool 9 cuts away their apices as the blank is passed under the tool or as the tool is passed over the blank, the result of the operation being more fully illustrated in Fig. 6. In said figure 1) represents the severed letter and d the resulting waste of the blank, the finished letter being then separated therefrom, as shown more fully in Fig. 8, the operation being the same for any letter or figure desired.

In Fig. 7 I have shown a modified construction wherein the pressing mechanism consists of a flat die or platen 10 having the projections 4 and a cooperating roll 11 having corresponding recesses 5 between which parts the projecting portions will be formed from the blank 6 as it is fed between these elements. The pressed blank is carried upon the Hat die into contact with a shearing blade 12 so arranged as to cut through the top of the projections to separate the letter from the waste as the operation progresses.

The invention will be fully understood from the foregoing description. It results in finished letters or figures which may be applied and held in place by tacks, cement or other suitable means; the operation is comparatively simple and economical, avoiding the necessity of using cutting shears or the usual shearing dies, while being capable of producing a finished letter at low cost.

The advantages of the invention will be readily appreciated by all those familiar with the manufacture of sign letters or other similar devices and may be greatly changed or varied by the skilled mechanic in the different steps of the operation or in other details, within the scope of the following claims.

What I claim is:

In the manufacture of sheet metal characters, the method of forming; the outline of the character by boundary ridges pressed from a sheet-metal blank, and then removing the crown of said projecting portions so as to sever the character defined within the ridges from the blank, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I afhx my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE C. GARRISON.

Witnesses CHAS. S. LEPLEY, C. M. CLARKE. 

